The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga wants the Ministry of Defence to explain the mandate that the UPDF has in fighting illegal fishing on Lake Victoria.
On Thursday afternoon, the Mukono South MP Muyanja Ssenyonga told Parliament that on Monday this week, the UPDF officers responsible for fighting illegal fishing burnt over 100 houses and destroyed several properties in Mabanga C in Buikwe district as part of their operations to fight bad fishing.
Ssenyonga decried the excessive force that was used on the local people who were not given notice, and demanded that the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness rescues the affected families that were left homeless.
“We are all in support of the government initiative against bad fishing on the lake but not in such a manner where even children, women who were not given prior notice to vacate the island are left homeless,” MP Ssenyonga argued.
The Buvuma Island MP, Robert Migadde Ndugwa said government has for long failed to come up with special programs for the fishing community yet continued to hunt the ‘bad’ fishermen.
He accuses the army of intentionally torching the landing sites to chase away the residents.
In her ruling, the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga faulted UPDF for expressing such inhuman behavior.
She now wants the Ministry Defence to explain the roles that UPDF plays in enforcing illegal fishing.
“Concerning the conduct of the UPDF, I have also received complaints from Namayingo, Buyende and some parts of Buvuma on how the locals are being treated. We have heard that they broke their boats, where some are for fetching water, taking children to school,” Speaker Kadaga told the House.
“We need to summon the Minister of Defence to give us an update on what they are doing and their mandate,” she added.
While a recent report credited the UPDF operations in curbing illegal fishing which has seen the rise in numbers of Nile Perch and other fish varieties on Lake Victoria, there have been previous complaints on the harsh manner in which these operations are carried out.